The Air Force has awarded a $4.4 million initial task order to Lockheed Martin [LMT] for upgrades to the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) workstations that will change the way analysts handle intelligence imagery and high-definition, full-motion video, as well as reports, the company said.

DCGS is the Department of Defense enterprise that collects and processes vast amounts of intelligence and imagery from manned and unmanned reconnaissance sources, according to Lockheed Martin.

“This is a critical step towards ensuring analysts have easier access to the data they need to make the right decisions on and off the battlefield,” Jim Quinn, vice president with Lockheed Martin’s IS&GS-Defense, said.

Under this contract, Lockheed Martin will upgrade 200 DCGS Common Work Stations to allow analysts to use both UNIX and Mirosoft [MSFT] Windows- based software applications simultaneously from a single work station. This upgrade will allow data to be seamlessly exchanged between two entirely different operating systems, the company said.

Lockheed Martin will also continue to support the customer in fielding and integrating high-definition, full-motion video capabilities into Air Force DCGS sites around the world. These new workstations offer enhanced still and full motion imagery exploitation and efficiencies in the generation of related products while reducing the physical footprint, the company said. The high definition Common Work Station supports a four panel array of color LCD monitors, which will permit analysts to simultaneously view and exploit multiple, full-motion video feeds, while meeting the Air Force need for reliable, flexible and high performance processing, Lockheed Martin added